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'Black Panther' Breakout Bae Winston Duke Has A Message For Black Women

We're all ears.

The overwhelming representation of superior Black talent in Marvel's Black Panther continues to be a topic of discussion, today, long after the film's initial release.

While the stars in the record-breaking film collectively contributed to its massive success, it would be a disservice to ignore that one of the breakout stars from the film was clearly Tobagonian actor Winston Duke. Now that the hype surrounding the movie has relatively surpassed, he is speaking out on the support he's received and exclusively credits the majority of that to none other than Black women.

In an interview with The Root, Duke, who portrayed the role of M'Baku, the leader of the Jabari tribe, spoke on the outpouring of love he has received from the Black community — specifically, Black women.

"I've thought about it a lot, and I have a lot of feelings about it," he started out, commenting on his newfound attention. "I just wanna say thank you to a lot of what is actually Black women who have rallied around me and started and spurred all of this."

The Yale alum added that it was their kind words that kept him uplifted throughout the process.

"For them to tell me I'm beautiful and for them to tell me I'm attractive and for them to show their affection this way is really great," he said. "And I'm humbled by it, to be honest with you."

To prove that Duke is forever Black women's #ManCrushMonday, take a look at their tweets of admiration — and occasional thirst — below:

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